Amar Toor
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PETA Wants UGA to Adopt Robotic Dog Mascot
As reported by WGAU 1340AM in Athens, Georgia, PETA thinks that the next Uga should either be some sort of "animatronic" dog or someone dressed in a costume, because apparently, the life of a mascot is too harrowing for a real bulldog. In an e-mail to UGA Athletic Director Damon Evans, PETA argues that, "Bulldogs are prone to breathing difficulties, hip dysplasia, heart disorders, and other congenital ailments, and acquiring a dog from a breeder perpetuates the animal overpopulation crisis while causing another dog waiting in an animal shelter to be condemned to death."
StreetView: 'Move Over, Robert Frank!' as Artist Finds Google's Oeuvre
It wasn't too long ago that Google Maps took to the streets with its army of camera-equipped cars as it embarked on its quest to photograph every avenue in the world. As they archived all these random images of daily life and human existence, they captured more than their fair share of comedic, and often downright embarrassing moments. One artist, though, recently trolled through that entire stockpile, and has uncovered some surprisingly beautiful -- and often powerful -- imagery.Jon Rafman, an artist based out of Montreal, took it upon himself to find Google's artistic side, and has assembled a fascinating collection, NPR reports. The photos run the gamut from the complacently pensive (a barebacked woman staring at the Sea in Italy), to the humorous (the dilapidated facade of a Rod Stewart fan club in Scotland), to the downright harrowing (a series of curbside homeless).
Man Crashes Into FBI Building to Destroy 'Mind-Reading' Device
It seems James Kromer had it all figured out. He was gonna do it, once and for all. The FBI had been controlling his brain with a mind-reading device for far too long. Kromer had to put an end to it. And he almost did -- until he messed up the address.The 36-year-old Minnesotan crashed his car through what he believed to be the FBI building in Minneapolis. As it turns out, it was just the University of Minnesota Public Health building, which incurred $20,000 worth of damages from the incident. The entire case of mistaken location can be traced back to an extra zero that Kromer tacked on to the building number. (We're not sure whether it was GPS, or Google Maps, or what.) The real FBI building is at 111 Washington Ave. S in Minneapolis. The Public Health building, on the other hand, is at 1110 Washington Ave. S. Oops.
Your Friends' Tweets Could Actually Be Ads
The trend, not surprisingly, has been met with controversy. Technology blogger Robert Scoble told the Times that "[it] interferes with your relationship with your friends and your audience," and claims that he unfriends people who send him ads. Joey Caroni, co-founder of the Peer2, a division of a major Hollywood ad agency, insists that he and his peers aren't trying to "create an army of spammers" (although that's sort of what it seems like to us).
How Do You Say 'Twitter' in French?
Just a few weeks after the site unveiled its new Spanish version, Twitter has now made itself available in French, as well. The site commemorated the latest achievement in its ongoing translation project with a French post on its blog. (You can find the English translation here.) If you don't live in a Francophone country, that doesn't mean you can't tweet in French. All you have to do is change your settings, and voila.
Woman Uses Facebook to Track Down Attacker
When regular old police forces can't hunt down an evildoer, Facebook, like Batman, is there.
The social networking site swept into crime-fighting action recently when the victim of a brutal attack used it to track down her assailant. The Telegraph reports that, on the night of March 20th, 20-year-old Jennifer Wilson, of Hertfordshire, England, was at a nightclub when another woman, Ashleigh ...Mussolini's Brain for Sale on eBay?
Because the world will never be able to get enough of Benito Mussolini, some compassionate individual has done all of humanity a favor and put the Italian dictator's brain for auction on eBay.
The Telegraph reports that Alessandra Mussolini, the granddaughter of the man who led Italy into World War II, is furious about reports that her grandfather's brain had been stolen and put up for ...Steering Wheel-Mounted Desk Guaranteed to Make You a Worse Driver
Lets face it, driving safely can be kinda... boring. Paying attention to the road, having no distractions, not running into telephone
poles? Yawn.
So to spice things up, and give your hands something to do while you're doin' 70 on the freeway, the geniuses at Mobile Office have created the Laptop Steering Desk. That's right. A desk that attaches to your steering wheel. Really, it's just like ...Meet Bandit, Your New Robotic Personal Trainer
With the holiday season just coming into full swing, everyone's gonna be looking for new ways to shed that extra turkey tummy that we'll inevitably be accumulating pretty soon. And though personal trainers may be a popular choice among a certain demographic, why spend hours with an actual human being when you can spend quality time with your own robotic workout coach?
USC's Viterbi School of ...Scientology Hacker Convicted, Heading To Jail
With old-fashioned, barbaric crusades having gone the way of the Pet Rock, it seems people have started to take their religious beefs from the war-grounds to the Web. The most recent cyber-attack, though, might be the most confusing yet.
As the Huffington Post reports, Dmitriy Guzner, a 19-year-old from New Jersey, has been sentenced to a 366-day term in federal prison for participating in a ...
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